162. What Running Has Taught Us About Doing Hard Things

What started as a way to blow off some steam turned into half-marathons, early morning runs, sore muscles, and a whole lot of lessons about doing hard things. In this episode, Jena and Mary Pat talk about how running has challenged what they thought their bodies were capable of and what it has taught them about discipline, resilience, comparison, and making time for themselves in the middle of busy seasons of life.They talk about starting from very different places, learning to embrace slow runs and recovery, fueling for longer distances, avoiding injury, and realizing that you don't have to be an athlete to become a runner. They also get very honest about the less glamorous side of running… including nervous bathroom emergencies, cornfields, and the surprising freedom of ditching your underwear. Most importantly, they talk about how building physical resilience can help us carry the other hard things life throws at us and why sometimes the biggest victory is simply proving to yourself that you can do something you once thought was impossible.In this episode: How Jena and Mary Pat accidentally became runners  Why you don't have to be an athlete to start running  Learning to slow down and embrace easy runs  Fueling, hydration, and what they wish they'd known sooner  Injuries, recovery, and the importance of not rushing the process  The mental game of running and pushing past what your brain tells you  Comparison and learning to run your own race  Finding time to run as a mom  The very real (and very funny) bathroom side of running  Building resilience through physical challenges  Learning that you're capable of more than you think  Keeping fitness in perspective and remembering what matters most🙌 Join the Conversation!Tag us or send us a DM @beyondthecrops_. And don't forget to leave us a message on our new voicemail line! Leave us a Voice Message!We love hearing from you and continuing the conversation off the podcast. Click here to leave us a voice note!